Oilfield operations on rigs require the use of tubulars to perform tasks such as drilling, provide pipe for drilled wellbores, casing for drilled wellbores, and exploration. Tubulars are constantly being moved on the rig floor, on and off the rig floor, coupled to one another, uncoupled, placed into the wellbore, and pulled out of the wellbore. The constant moving and manipulation of tubulars on a rig poses a safety hazard to the workers on the rig, slows operations, and requires careful choreography with all the moving equipment.
Moving tubulars on and off the rig floor presents a different set of challenges. The rig floor is on top of a substructure that is elevated above the ground. Tubulars for a specific jobs have to be hoisted from the ground and up onto the rig floor. This is often accomplished manually by workers, chains, and hoisting machinery. Pipe can be stacked horizontally onto a skid at the base of the rig, dragged up a pipe slide using a chain or cable, and placed vertically on the rig floor. This process is time consuming and presents a safety hazard to the workers on the rig. After tubulars are no longer needed, they are lowered on the pipe slide and allowed to slide back onto the pipe skid.
There exist a need to provide a fully automated system for maneuvering tubulars on and off the rig floor.